Ponting won't let it rest.

Ricky Ponting is quoted in the English media as having said in an exclusive interview with Australian Radio "I think it's a disgrace that the spirit of the game is being treated in this way." (Of course referring to England rotating the substitute fielders and giving the fast bowlers 7 minutes rest after a spell.)

Ricky Ponting is quoted in the English media as having said in an exclusive interview with Australian Radio "I think it's a disgrace that the spirit of the game is being treated in this way." (Of course referring to England rotating the substitute fielders and giving the fast bowlers 7 minutes rest after a spell.)

If he has actually said that and it was after his meeting with the match referee, you can bet your bottom Euro that he won't be playing at The Oval, because the ICC will absolutely throw the book at him.

Somehow I thing the words "Been", 'Has", "Misquoted" and "He" might apply somewhere along the lines - no-one could be that stupid.

I can't see why the ICC would feel the need to get involved. It's not breaking the code of conduct to question the behaviour of the opposition in an interview is it?

Anyway, I think in this instance he's quite right to harp on it. I can't understand for the life of me why the umpires would allow it given that it's clearly against the rules to take off a player constantly for no reason and bring on a specialist fielder as a sub. I expect you'll see it disappearing at The Oval if England don't have another injury in fact.

It's cold on the outside they say
But the cold leaves you clear while the heat leaves a haze

If he has actually said that and it was after his meeting with the match referee, you can bet your bottom Euro that he won't be playing at The Oval, because the ICC will absolutely throw the book at him.

Somehow I thing the words "Been", 'Has", "Misquoted" and "He" might apply somewhere along the lines - no-one could be that stupid.

(could they?)

I'm sure he could, given some of his decision-making so far this summer.

It doesn't strike me as beyond him to use Aussie FM or whatever to vent his feelings and think he could get away with it.

I can't see why the ICC would feel the need to get involved. It's not breaking the code of conduct to question the behaviour of the opposition in an interview is it?

Anyway, I think in this instance he's quite right to harp on it. I can't understand for the life of me why the umpires would allow it given that it's clearly against the rules to take off a player constantly for no reason and bring on a specialist fielder as a sub. I expect you'll see it disappearing at The Oval if England don't have another injury in fact.

First - a disclaimer. I don't want anything to be done, even if it's true. There's too much rot and whining going on for my liking already.

However...

You really don't see the connection between being fined 75% of his match fee for what amounted to dissent, making an apology and then continuing the same line of complaining in the media (if that indeed is what has happened), do you? It's the match officials who have the final say as to whether a substitute is allowed, therefore in creating a fuss he's questioning the decision of the match officials - and people at sunny ICC Towers will more than likely take a passing interest - rightly or wrongly.

But he was fined for bringing the game into disrepute, not for criticising England's behaviour. At least, that was my understanding... chances are if he had walked over and had his chat as he did with Dar while the third umpire decision was made but hadn't shouted abuse into the England dressing room he wouldn't have been fined at all.

If he has in fact been fined for criticising England's use of the sub, then yes the ICC will react here, but if he's been fined for the way he went about it and not for the complaint and then he goes on and says in an interview that he thinks the umpires should crack down on England... well that's well within the rules as far as I know.

Trevor Penney as third man is pure genius! Almost ****ed myself when I saw him fielding when I put the TV on.

As no law is really against it, and the umps dont really care, you cant really blame England for exploiting it.

Love it when he whinges at the umpires... poor Ricky.

Why do people keep saying there's no law against it. There is... you can only have a sub if a fielder is injured, simple as that. Obviously with Jones that's fine, but every other time England has done it, it hasn't been.

Why do people keep saying there's no law against it. There is... you can only have a sub if a fielder is injured, simple as that. Obviously with Jones that's fine, but every other time England has done it, it hasn't been.

Exactly. If Ponting has come out and said that England aren't really following the spirit of cricket by bending the rules, then the ICC shouldn't fine him. No matter how inappropriate or politically incorrect it may be, it is definitely true.

It's not really playing within the rules, it's more of finding a loophole than anything else.

They've just played the interview, which was with a station called (I think) Melbourne 3AW, on Radio 5 Live in the Uk. He did indeed say it was "against the spirit of the game which we are trying to uphold". He didn't use the word "disgrace."
It appears as though England coach Duncan Fletcher was on the balcony waving as Ricky Ponting left the field. He took this as a deliberate act of provocation as Fletcher knew the Aussie view of the abuse of the substitute fielding regulations.

Pretty pathetic conduct by a team coach, it must be said. Ponting should have kept his emotions in check, but Fletcher certainly seems to be doing all he can to provoke him, given that he promptly sent a second sub fielder out on to the field after Ponting was dismissed.

Ricky Ponting is quoted in the English media as having said in an exclusive interview with Australian Radio "I think it's a disgrace that the spirit of the game is being treated in this way." (Of course referring to England rotating the substitute fielders and giving the fast bowlers 7 minutes rest after a spell.)

Pretty pathetic conduct by a team coach, it must be said. Ponting should have kept his emotions in check, but Fletcher certainly seems to be doing all he can to provoke him, given that he promptly sent a second sub fielder out on to the field after Ponting was dismissed.

Sounds good to me

Australia have tried to get under the oppositions skin for years with all the sledging, now they should take it like men and not throw their toys out of the pram.

Australia have tried to get under the oppositions skin for years with all the sledging, now they should take it like men and not throw their toys out of the pram.

Personally, I think having a chat to a batsman while you're fielding at short-leg is rather different from the coach directly goading the opposition captain and doing something that is both pointless and against the rules just to annoy him. The coach isn't part of the game, and he's not going to have to duck Brett Lee bouncers if he annoys the opposition.